{"id":9466,"date":"2026-01-10T11:57:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T11:57:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/shutdown-guide-navigating-osha-compliance-during-the-federal-government-shutdown\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T11:57:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T11:57:14","slug":"shutdown-guide-navigating-osha-compliance-during-the-federal-government-shutdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/shutdown-guide-navigating-osha-compliance-during-the-federal-government-shutdown\/","title":{"rendered":"Shutdown Guide: Navigating OSHA Compliance During the Federal Government Shutdown"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Seyfarth Synopsis:<\/em><\/strong> Despite Congress failing to fund the federal government, the Department of Labor and OSHA will continue to operate with a skeleton crew. Citations will still be issued, deadlines remain in effect, and employers must report serious injuries and fatalities.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

OSHA Furloughed Most Staff<\/strong><\/p>\n

On October 1, 2025, the federal government entered a shutdown following Congress’s failure to fund the government. Pursuant to federal law, non-essential operations of the government have been suspended, with some employees required to continue working without pay.<\/p>\n

In 2025, federal OSHA had already faced tremendous attrition with DOGE cuts and voluntary resignations. Under the Department of Labor’s written contingency plan, approximately 43% of OSHA’s staff was supposed to be furloughed. But this week, OSHA furloughed 1,204 out of 1,664 staff members. Administrative functions have been suspended, including regional offices, regulatory functions, and support staff. Some OSHA management and compliance officers will remain on duty, focusing on high-priority inspections and enforcement.<\/p>\n

OSHA State Plan Activity to Continue Uninterrupted<\/strong><\/p>\n

OSHA state plans<\/a> largely will not<\/em> be impacted by the federal shutdown. OSHA State Plans are state agencies that enforce OSHA regulations against private employers in 21 states and one territory<\/a>. While federal oversight of those agencies may be reduced during the shutdown, inspections, citations, and appeals will continue unabated in state plan states.<\/p>\n

Ongoing Federal OSHA Inspections<\/strong><\/p>\n

With ~75% of OSHA staff furloughed, most ongoing enforcement activity has been suspended. If you contact an OSHA compliance officer about an ongoing inspection, you likely will receive an out-of-office reply that they are unreachable. OSHA has stated that it will continue some OSHA inspections with its skeleton crew:<\/p>\n